Winter 2016 Saber Tails 81
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
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he conformation ring was dominated this year by GCH CH Auriga’s Peter Parker
owned by Wendy & Martin Doherty, Shawn & Nadeen Bennett, Eddie Dziuk, who
took Best of Breed five of the six shows and was Best of Opposite Sex in the 6th show.
His wins are impressive as he added these shows to an impressive list of other ac-
complishments. Congratulations to all his owners, breeders and his handler on this
impressive young dog.
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he competition was fierce at the Group level and no PBGV took home any group
ribbons during the week. That seems understandable with the Westminster Re-
serve Best In Show being shut out of the group medals at 3 of her 4 shows. This was
truly a who’s who of the dog show world and it is a delight to watch them all com-
pete.
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he National Owner Handler Finals were held on Friday with our breed being rep-
resented by three PBGVs: Clancy’s Curse of the Were Rabbit (Grommit) - Owner
Handled by Megan Esherick, GCH CH Jaren’s Put A Girl In It (Brooks) - Owner Handled
by Karen Clugston, and GCH CH Lacey’s Ain’t No Sour Grapes (Pinot) - Owner Handled by Olga Kornienko. Olga and
Pinot walked away with the Top Honors of Best of Breed Owner Handled awarded by Judge Col. Joe B Purkhiser. The
National Owner Handler Finals are by invitation only open to OH dogs that ahieved Top 10 Owner Handler rankings
throughout the year.
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onformation is obviously the primary draw for the National Championships, but some of the other activities are
what make this event so entertaining and worth exploring as well. There are agility competitions, obedience trals,
junior competitions, dock diving and a Foundation Stock Service Open Show all in the same location.
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f you have never seen an FSS Open Show, it is worth finding one and checking it out. An FSS Open show is a conforma-
tion show open to any breeds that are listed with the AKC as participating in the Foundation Stock Service, including
those that have moved into the Miscellaneous Group. The FSS is a designation giv-
en to breeds that have an organized parent club in the United States but that have
not yet met the requirements of the AKC for full breed recognition (because of a
variety of reasons such as low registration numbers or lack of geographic spread
in ownership). This year’s FSS Open show on Friday included representation from
the following breeds: Azawakh, Dogo Argentine, Belgian Laekenois, Grand Basset
Griffon Vendeen, Kooikerhondjes, Barbet, Biewer Terrier, Bracco Italiano, Danish-
Swedish Farm Dog, Dutch Shepherd, Karelian Bear Dog, Kromfohrlander and Mudi.
This year, the Best in Open Show went to the GBGV named Jamaica.
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word about Dock Diving. I’m fascinated by this competition and REALLY want
to see a PBGV competing in an upcoming show. This year there were two dock
diving swimming pools set up next to one another. Competitions were held simul-
taneously. For the casual observer, this meant plenty of action watching from the
bleachers. Be warned…walking too close to a pool means you might get wet!
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articularly in this event, you see skill levels across the board! There are serious
competitors whose dogs are jumping 20+ feet to retrieve their squeaky toy. But
there are also big lumbering Leonbergers and tottering old Miniature Poodles who
just love to get wet. The only qualification seems to be that your dog is capable
of swimming and coming back to the walk out point when you call. Anyone can take their dog over during certain
advertised times to give it a try. You definitely want to know in advance if your dog is capable of swimming and not
Aaron waiting with Sam
Olga with Pinot who was Best Owner
Handled PBGV at the AKC National
Championships and placed Group 2 in
Hound OH earlier in the week
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